Head Coach Brian McGee goes into his second season at the helm of the Wittenberg baseball program, after joining the Wittenberg University athletic department in August 2016 with one thing in mind, rebuilding the winning traditions the Tigers have.

McGee comes to Wittenberg as the all-time winningest coach at NCAA Division II Lake Erie College. In just nine seasons at the helm, McGee was able to build a regionally competitive and respected program despite undergoing the difficult transition from NCAA III to current active NCAA II status.

Considered to be one of the top recruiters in the state, McGee put together a string of accomplishments while at Lake Erie Collegethrough a tireless work ethic, undeniable passion for his players, and the uncanny ability to maximize his team’s potential on and off the diamond.

Prior to his arrival at Lake Erie in 2008, the Storm had never finished higher than seventh place inconference play. However, in just his first season McGee was able to lead his team to a third-place finish, a single-season record for wins, and the programs first ever postseason tournament appearance.

The next season, 2009, marked the year Lake Erie would begin to make the jump to NCAA II play and affiliation into the reputable and highly competitive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Staring in the face of adversity, McGee was able to continue the programs climb to excellence over the next eight seasons. Here are some key highlights during his tenure:

Key Accomplishments at Lake Erie College:

• Acknowledged as the all-time "winningest" coach in LEC baseball program history.

• Was just the second head coach in the colleges 150 plus year history from any sport to reach the 100 win plateau as a head coach.

• Posted a better than .500 winning percentage in conference play after inheriting a program with a lifetime .250 winning percentage

• Transitioned the team up to NCAA division II status from the NCAA III level.

• First Lake Erie sports team to defeat an NCAA I opponent.

• First Lake Erie sports team to win a national tournament contest as an NCAA II member.

• Responsible for recruiting and developing the college’s first four professional baseball players, all since 2011.

• Ryan Rua was selected in the 17th round of the 2011 Major League Draft by the Texas Rangers. In 2014, Rua was named to the Texas League mid-season All-Star roster for the Double-A Frisco Roughriders. At the All-Star festivities, Rua captured the Homerun Derby title before becoming the Texas Rangers opening day leftfielder in 2015. Ryan is currently still with the Rangers in Arlington.

• Luke Raley became the second player from LEC ever taken in the MLB draft when he was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 7th round in 2016. Most remarkably, Luke was the very 1st position player selected in the draft from NCAA II in the entire country. (3rd overall)

• In 2012, in just McGee’s second season into GLIAC play, the team finished with the second most wins in the conference and qualified for the post season tournament for the first time as NCAA II members.

• The 2013 season marked back to back conference postseason tournament appearances.

• The 2014 season still remains the programs high mark having qualified for the NCAA II Baseball Championships by earning a birth to the Midwest Regional tournament. That year the Storm finished with a program best 32 wins, made the conference tournament for the third consecutive year, played for the GLIAC conference championship, and finished as the #5 team in the Midwest Region.

• Set a program record for overall wins in five out of nine seasons as head coach, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014.

• Qualified for the conference tournament in four out of seven qualifying years for post season eligibility.

• From 2012 to 2014 the Storm became the only Ohio based team to make the GLIAC playoffs in each of those three seasons, making them one of the most successful Ohio-based Division-II programs in recent history.

• Developed first All-American, ten All-Region players, and a Gold Glove in seven eligible seasons.

• Coached 31 student athletes selected to the All-Conference team in 7 years of eligibility, and Freshman Player of Year.

Prior to taking the job at Lake Erie, McGee was the assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach at Greensboro College(NCAA III) in North Carolina from 2003-07. During his tenure as assistant coach, the Pride saw some of their most prolific statistical seasons. Outside the recruitment of players, McGee’s responsibilities included standing in as the third base coach and the development of the Pride infielders. In 2006, the Greensboro infield finished 12th in the nation in fielding percentage under his tutelage. While at Greensboro College McGee also served as the assistant director and facility manager for college’s student recreation center.

Before moving his career down south, McGee was in his first head coaching role at the now closed Lorain Catholic High School (OH) in the spring of 2003. That year he guided the Spartans to their first regional appearance in well over a decade and in the process was named Lorain County Coach of the Year, and the Lorain Morning Journal’s High School Coach of the Year for all divisions.

2002 was McGee’s first season as a collegiate coach having served as an assistant baseball coach at the University of Toledo (NCAA I). Prior to jumping to the college ranks, McGee was an assistant varsity and freshmen coach at nearby Toledo St. Frances High School in Toledo, OH during the spring of 2001 where his coaching career began.

McGee is a 1996 graduate of Amherst Steele High School and a 2000 graduate of Tiffin University, where he was a four-year letter winner and team captain for the Dragons. He earned his bachelor's degree in sports management from Tiffin before earning a master's degree in recreation and leisure studies from the University of Toledo in 2002.

McGee and his wife, the former Adriann Garland, married in October of 2011. The couple resides in Galloway, Ohio with their two year old girl Georgina "Gigi" McGee, and newborn son Buster McGee.